Young reporter Kateřina Gruntová on Czech defense policy: "No prosperity without security”
Defense policy is once again at the center of public debate in Europe. In the latest episode of Czechast, we spoke to Kateřina Gruntová, a young Czech Radio reporter specializing in defense and security, about how the army is changing, how NATO really works, and why society still underestimates the stakes. She argues that security is not just a military issue — but a responsibility shared by all.
Why defense matters — a younger perspective
Defense policy is growing in importance across Europe. Russia’s war in Ukraine, shifting transatlantic relations, and debates over military spending have pushed security back into the spotlight.
At Czechast, I have long been interested in how Czechia approaches defense and security. This time, I was curious to hear the perspective of someone from a younger generation — someone who follows the military and NATO not from the outside, but as a specialist reporter.
So I reached out to my colleague Kateřina Gruntová, a journalist who has spent the past four years covering defense and security for Czech public radio.
“There is no prosperity without security”
Defense reporting remains a relatively specialized field in Czech media, especially among younger journalists and particularly among women. Kateřina Gruntová does not see it as unusual.
“I think it doesn’t matter whether I’m a woman or a man,” she says. “Security and defense is a hugely important area. And I always knew I wanted to cover this area.”
She sums up her philosophy in a single sentence: “There is no prosperity without security.”
In her reporting, that means following not only the Ministry of Defense and the Army, but also the sometimes complicated relationships between political leaders and military commanders. She covered, for example, the well-known tensions between a former defense minister and the chief of the General Staff.
“There was a mismatch in their personalities,” she explains. “But also there was this power struggle… they just couldn’t figure out who controls what.”
Such clashes, she notes, are not merely personal — they reflect deeper institutional tensions over competencies and authority.
Has the Czech Army changed Since 2022?
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, defense has moved firmly into the public spotlight. According to Kateřina, that shift is visible inside the Czech military as well.
“Yes, very much,” she says when asked whether the army has changed. Increased funding has allowed modernization of equipment, but perhaps more importantly, communication has evolved.
“They have much more attention now,” she notes. “And I also think the Army communicates differently. They are much more open to the public.”
She credits both previous and current military leadership for that shift. And she believes that having a president with a strong military background has also helped the army’s standing.
“It definitely helps the Army when they need some advocacy — someone who would stand up for them.”
NATO: still misunderstood?
Despite Czechia having been a member of NATO since 1999, Kateřina believes the alliance remains misunderstood — not only by the public, but sometimes even by politicians.
“NATO is such a complex organization,” she says. “Before I started working as a journalist, I didn’t know much about it either. So I’m not surprised that people just don’t care.”
More troubling, she adds, is that some political leaders fail to grasp how it works — especially Article 5.
“It says an attack on one member is considered an attack on all,” she explains. “But it doesn’t mean that automatically all these other members would come to our help with their armies. It means they would consider how and with what force they would help you.”
Her warning is clear: “If we are not deemed as a reliable ally, they might not help us.”
More in the full episode of Czechast, the podcast in English about all thinhgs Czech.
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Czechast, Radio Prague International
Czechast is a regular RPI podcast about Czech and Moravian culture, history, and economy.
